Human Rights

Jailed Philippines Lawmaker Eyes Freedom on May 1

MANILA — Anakpawis Representative and political detainee Crispin Beltran today expressed hope that he will be released on bail before May 1, International Labor Day, just in time for Anakpawis Party-List’s miting de avance at the Liwasang Bonifacio. He has been under detention since February 25, 2006 on charges of inciting to sedition and rebellion. He has consistently denied both charges and accused the government of illegal and unlawful arrest using a 22-year old warrant.
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World Copyright Day: Give Journalists Rights to Control Their Work, Says IFJ

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today marked World Copyright Day with a new call for lawmakers and governments to protect journalists? rights to own and control their work.

?Authors? rights are essential to the quality of journalism and to the future of our profession. They provide vital income for a journalist and they help the defence of professional ethics,? said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. ?They play a crucial role in developing and maintaining a free press and democracy.?

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In Philippines, Mother Buries 4th and Last Son Killed by Davao Death Squad

Taken. Clarita Alia is hysterical as her son, Fernando, is laid to rest in Davao City today. Fernando was the fourth and last son of Alia who was killed in the last five years. “I no longer have anybody with me. They took all my children,” Alia wailed during the burial. She believes that the so-called Davao Death Squad was behind the murders of her sons, as well as countless other people, many of them minors who had trouble with the law. The extrajudicial killings, which Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has tacitly approved, are seen as the city’s way of dealing with crime. Government and tourism officials have praised the city for its low crime rate, which is ironically attributed to these killings. Duterte has likewise earned kudos for his toughness on crime and for his statements warning people that they would be killed if they commit crimes in his city. (davaotoday.com photos by Barry Ohaylan)

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Philippines: IPU Officials Displeased with Gonzalez’s Hostile Remarks

MANILA — The three officials of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
(IPU) are very disappointed over the disparaging
remarks made by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez about
their mission to look into alleged persecution of
leftist party-list representatives to Congress, led by
Crispin Beltran (Anak-Pawis) and Satur Ocampo
(Bayan-Muna).

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Puno Gives Hope in Stopping New Philippines Terror Law — Bayan

MANILA — Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno hit the nail on the head.

This was the reaction of the umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan after Puno slammed the United States-led war on terror and its particular conduct in the Philippines. The Supreme Court justice criticized the worsening human rights situation in the country as a result of a state that has been weakened by corruption and lack of credibility.

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